Google Assistant has tripled device support in four months

Editor at TechForge Media. Often sighted at global tech conferences with a coffee in one hand and laptop in the other. If it's geeky, I'm probably into it.

Google has been hard at work increasing the number of devices supported by its Assistant as it fights to control the smart home.

Competing for the smart home is clearly near the top of Google’s priorities as those interactions move away from smartphones. Once a consumer is invested in an ecosystem, it’s difficult to get them to switch.

Google’s main competitor is Amazon with their Alexa ecosystem. Amazon, quite likely as a result of its retail presence, has sold a lot more of its Echo line of products to customers.

Alexa has maintained a reputation for supporting more smart home devices than Google Assistant. However, for the first time, it appears Google has taken a lead in the number of smart home devices it’s able to control.

Back in January, Google Assistant supported 1,500 smart home devices. Today, Google announced that number has swelled to more than 5,000. For comparison, Alexa is able to control 4,000 devices.

The other competitor lurking in the shadows is Apple, although HomeKit only has 195 products listed as supported. In the coming months, that number will undoubtedly grow now its HomePod speaker is available — but it has a lot of catching up to do in both sales and supported devices.

Right now, it’s clear the real bout is between Amazon and Google. And the fight so far has often been seen as dirty.

According to a PricewaterhouseCoopers survey, around nine in 10 smart home device shoppers said they were influenced by the device’s compatibility with their smart speaker. Conversely, 85 percent said their smart device influences which AI assistant they use.

Back in December, Google removed YouTube from Amazon’s products including the Echo Show and Fire TV. The company says the move was a result of Amazon not selling Google-owned Nest products.

Amazon bought popular smart doorbell manufacturer Ring for a reported $1 billion around three months after. While Ring is currently supported by Google Assistant, its popularity could be used to Amazon’s advantage.

04/05 Update: Not to be outdone, Amazon has issued updated numbers and Alexa now supports an incredible 12,000 smart home devices.

Are you impressed by Google Assistant’s growth? Let us know in the comments.

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